


As the blue lights bathed our smiles

by crisbarakart



Category: All Time Low (Band), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acxa & Keith (Voltron) are Siblings, Allura & Keith (Voltron) Friendship, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Band Fic, Bickering, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Allura (Voltron), Bisexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Male Character, Canon Gay Character, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Established Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Male Character, Gay Panic, Human Allura (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Korean Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Late Night Conversations, Late at Night, Lesbian Character, M/M, Minor Acxa/Veronica (Voltron), Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Lance/Nyma (Voltron), Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Past Relationship(s), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Punk Rock, Rock Stars, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Mom Allura (Voltron), Team as Family, Tour Bus, Touring, they're on tour, voltron as all time low's supporting band
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-16 04:37:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18087575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crisbarakart/pseuds/crisbarakart
Summary: Keith was right there, siting on one of the tables at the back of the coffeeshop, hot drink between his hands, the smoke clouding his face, melting into the black locks of his hair. His gaze was lost somewhere, heavy bags under his eyes that Lance hadn’t noticed before but that now that he had taken the time, in the pale fluorescent lights of that place, were pretty notable against his porcelain skin.Lance was beginning to think the upper forces of the world had some childish grudge against him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, i wanna thank @circlevision7 for giving me this idea (i thought it was impossible to mix all time low with voltron but she proved me wrong). it was so fun talking about this fanfiction with you, thank you for the inspiration and the ideas!! <3  
> i also want to clarify some things:  
> all time low appears here, but even if you don't like / know the band its okay, it's not that centered in them, they're more like background characters and an excuse to have a band fic with voltron.  
> there's shallura. i know some people are gonna come at me and tell me i shouldn't do this ship because shiro is canonically gay, but listen here for a sec. back in the day, before canon gay shiro was announced, my friends and i really shipped shallura, as well as klance, (i mean it was such a popular ship, its a background couple in many old fanfiction). i really liked their relationship because they had that chemistry and potential that other ships in vld don't have. i like adam and adashi, i've written about them, but even if they put shiro with guys in vld they didn't specify he is gay IN THE SHOW so i think you could have him as bi or pan. i think vld would've been great having klance being the lgbt rep and then shallura (maybe adding later on veracxa) it would've been such a great rep!! so i wanted to do that in this fanfiction, i wanted to have diversity with m/m + w/w + m/f. i'm not trying to offend anyone with this and, as i said, i always put shiro as gay in my fanfiction, but i wanted to put him as bi in this one.  
> i think that's all i needed to say? anyways if there's anything more to say i'll tell you guys, for now, enjoy!!

_“Put up or shut up, we’re not wasting time again / The credits are rolling and we’re getting lost again / In parking lots, to serenading sirens / As the blue lights bathed our smiles”  
**– all time low, break out! break out!**_

 

**~*~**

 

Lance couldn’t believe it. He stared at the email in front of him, re-reading it once more. It was too good to be true. It had to be a mistake. Or maybe he was reading the message wrong, maybe he had suddenly forgot how English worked, or how reading worked. What even was internet at this point? What if the e-mail was meant for someone else? What if—.

He was sitting at his kitchen table, drinking his usual cup of coffee while checking e-mails like every other morning. It was part of his morning routine, he liked to check he hadn’t missed out on anything important while he was asleep. It was sort of like reading the morning paper. And then he saw it, his manager, Veronica, who also happened to be his sister, had sent them all a new message to their band account. There, addressed to Voltron, Veronica had sent them an e-mail telling them about a new tour opportunity she had gotten them. That was not the surprising part, that was not what had Lance almost dropping his favorite mug, Veronica was very capable of getting them tour deals, they couldn’t’ve asked for a better manager. It was who they got to tour with: All Time Low.

Since Hunk, Pidge and him had formed Voltron three years ago, with the help and unconditional support of Veronica, they had gone on tour on various occasions. They started off as the supporting band but, recently, they had also had the opportunity of being the main band themselves, touring with other small supporting bands. They came from the bottom, but they had been steadily climbing up and gaining a consistent fanbase who’d go and fill concert venues to see them live. But that was All Time Low, a band that had been going on for years, released many albums, had toured the world several times and had a huge fanbase. Compared to that, Voltron was just a baby band: two EPs written, about five tours done and a couple of thousand followers on twitter to compete against the million that All Time Low had.

So, how on Earth did All Time Low want _them_ to go on tour with them?

Lance re-read the e-mail again, all professionally written, talking about how Fueled by Ramen had contacted Veronica to propose Voltron to be one of the supporting bands of All Time Low’s upcoming tour. Lance pinched himself on the arm. Nope, it was real.

You see, the thing was that not only that was an amazingly good opportunity for their band, it would suppose a huge shout-out, but also, All Time Low was Lance’s favorite band. He had been a fan of that band for years, falling in love since the first song he got to listen of them – _break your little heart_ , that still, to this day, remained one of his favorites– and dedicating his high school life to stanning them. His bedroom walls were covered in posters of them, shelves filled with all the CDs ever released and a closet full of too many band t-shirts.

So that, definitely, was a big deal for Lance.

He took another sip of his coffee and went to the groupchat he had with the rest of his bandmates.

 

**Here we stan Voltron**

Lance: gUYS

Lance: GUYS

Lance: GUYSSSSSS

Pidge: JUST SAY IT AND STOP SPAMING

Lance: im

Lance: building

Lance: up

Lance: the

Pidge: istg lance

Lance: tension

Hunk: Just say it, my phone was vibrating so much from all the spam it almost fell of the table

Veronica: hohoho i think i know what this may be about

Lance: OFC YOU KNOW YOU SNEAKY LESBIAN

Veronica: * shrugging emoji *

Hunk: ??

Lance: we’re….

Pidge: I’m kicking your ass to space

Lance: going on tour with atl

Hunk: Atlanta?

Lance: OMG HUNK BRO

Lance: BRODUDE

Lance: ALL TIME LOW

Lance: AS IN,,,, MY FAV BAND???? 

Pidge: brodude

Hunk: Brodude

Veronica: brodude

Pidge: is this a new level of bromance?

Hunk: #hance

Lance: okay but hOW

Lance: HOW ARE WE SUDDENLY ATL’S SUPPORTING BAND

Lance: WHAT DID YOU DO VERO

Veronica: i literally did nothing

Pidge: ???

Veronica: it was them who reached out to me??? they were like “hey, saw your performance last year in baltimore n really liked your style wanna go on tour”

Veronica: well, they asked more formally but basically

Lance: IM– ????????

Hunk: Okay but that’s actually so cool? They’re a big band and they liked us!!

Pidge: its actually such a good opportunity

Veronica: so i take that as a yes? Should i tell them we’re in?

Pidge: yep

Hunk: Let’s do this!

Lance: DHJISNFIS DUDE OFC??? HOW WOULD YOU SAY NO TO THAT

Lance: HAVE YOU SEEN MY ROOM???

Lance: MY POSTERS????

Lance: THE SETLIST STUCK ON MY WALL THAT I LITERALLY HAD TO PHISICALLY FIGHT TWO DUDES FOR????

Pidge: I’m muting this chat

Lance: IM EVEN DRINKING COFFEE ON AN ATL MUG RN

 

\--

 

It was finally the day. Lance was standing outside of their old beat-up tour bus, it was a bit rusty, since they had been using the same one since the whole band thing begun, but they all loved it very much. After so many tours spent there, it was like a second home at this point.   

Veronica had told them, as they were pulling into the venue, how today was just rehearsals. They would basically go over setlists, how they’d planed the different sets, along with explaining where the tour would go and how it would work. Veronica had insisted on how it would also be a great opportunity to introduce themselves to everyone.

Lance always thought this part was boring. He wanted to go straight to the part where he was playing with his band on a big stage, feeling the lights warm his skin, a sea of screaming fans in front of him that would sing the lyrics they’d spent time writing back at him. Not to mention how cool it was to wake up everyday on a different city, to be able to use his job as an excuse to travel and sightsee new places. Still, meeting the staff and getting how the whole tour would go down was an important part.

Although, if all of this had any good points, it definitely was meeting the bands. They were always cool to hang out with, fun people with just as much shared passion for music as them –and this time, seeing as one of the bands was no other than All Time Low, it was an absolutely big good point.

They got to the front of the venue, where a security man was standing. Veronica showed him the corresponding accreditation and they got in through the heavy metal doors at the back of the building.  

They were meeting on the main stage, so Veronica led them through a few hallways, greeting people on their way.

“Who’s the other supporting band?” Pidge asked, trailing behind Veronica and Lance, next to Hunk.

“Blades of Marmora.” Veronica answered, with a smile.

“Doesn’t sound familiar.” Hunk said.

“Wait, what’s that smile for?” Lance questioned, eyeing his sister suspiciously. He knew that smile, it meant she knew something, was hiding something and it most likely had something to do with girls.

“Nothing, nothing.” Veronica waved him off. Lance just rolled his eyes, whatever, he had the feeling he’d find out soon enough. “Come on, they must be waiting for us already. You don’t wanna have All Time Low waiting up for you, don’t you?”

Lance didn’t even answer, instead, he walked faster, leaving them all behind.

“Let’s go, I wanna be there when Lance makes a fool of himself in front of his favorite band.” Pidge commented with a malevolent smile.   

As disappointing as it was for Lance, All Time Low weren’t there yet, thanks to their packed-up schedules, apparently. That left them and the other supporting band to go over the drills of the tour on their own. Whatever, Lance wouldn’t let his disappointment bring him down. He’d get plenty of chances of spending time with All Time Low and this, after all, was work, he had to focus on doing everything right. He couldn’t mess this up. He was determined to do great, they were a talented band with a good music opportunity. This was going to be the best tour ever and the beginning of something great.

But then Lance saw _him_.

Lance froze in spot. It couldn’t be. Lance didn’t want to believe it, he didn’t want to acknowledge that he was there. Lance felt his mod instantly drop, just as his heart begun to pick up speed, beating hard against his ribcage.

It hurt.

It felt as if all the memories came back, like a merciless flood. All the moments spent together, the teasing, the laughing. The blossoming feelings, new and unknown, yet warm and nice, gasping for more. And then the pain. The excruciating pain and the questions, the loud ‘why’ and the feeling of not being enough growing louder. The ever-present mystery as to why it all ended the way it ended.

It felt as if the air in the room was getting thicker, the room spinning. His legs felt weak and trembling under the weight of his body.

He couldn’t do this.

He couldn’t go on tour with Keith Kogane.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is much longer!! i didn't really plan to do it this long but i just kept writing and writing   
> thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments already! <3

 

Keith couldn’t be there. It had to be some awful mean joke of the universe. Why did he had to be part of the other supporting band? Like, come on, how many bands could there be in the world, in America? Even in California, were Lance was from, there were so many bands. Lance remembered all those years, back when they were still in high school, doing bad covers of their favorite bands, just how much competition they used to have when Battle of Bands came around at the end of the school year. Each year there were new bands, some of them so damn good, some awful and some okay-ish. So, all things considered, Lance was pretty sure god, or fate, or whoever put Keith Kogane as the lead singer of Blades of Marmora, hated him very much.

And so, since he was being hated so much by the higher powers of the universe –after a quick breakdown, totally not triggered by seeing Keith again, and quickly going through the essentials of the tour, wanting no other thing but to leave that venue– he was now laying on his bunk in the tour bus, on the way to their first real official venue and their first show of the tour.

As coward as it may seem, Lance first instinct had been: run. He had just went, not said a word to anyone, and locked himself in the bathroom of the venue. It had been Hunk who had run after him and got into the cramped space of the bathroom cubicle to try and calm him down. Veronica and Hunk both knew what had happened between him and Keith, they had been there when it all happened, from beginning to end –from the excitement of the first baby steps into that new relationship with the guy to the crushing end and the posterior weeks of mourning for a guy who didn’t give half a fuck of him. Pidge also knew, Lance had told them, Lance considered them all more than a band, almost like family; but by the time they came to the Garrison High School, Keith was gone and everything that had happened was history.

So Lance had broke down, and Hunk had been there to pick up the pieces and put them back together like he always did. And Lance wanted to drop everything and go back home, where everything was safe and familiar, with no mullet-ed boys who made your heart race almost as much as they broke it; but no, that was a great opportunity and that was All Time Low, and no Keith Kogane would get in the way of that.

Still, it didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt, like a tidal wave sinking him down. Keith had looked at him from across the room, with those deep piercing violet eyes looking right through him, and Lance had wanted to seem tough and collected, act as if any of that bothered him, but Keith’s gaze was burning holes into his skin and he felt as if he was slowly melting into the floor.

Lance had made a big effort to focus on what both the managers of both bands and the tour manager were explaining, but he found it hard to focus on anything other than the lead singer of the other supporting band. It felt so strange to see him again, like a blow to the stomach but also like breathing again after holding your breath for too long. His hair was longer, and his skin seemed paler than Lance remembered, but other than that, he looked the same. He still had those pretty purple eyes and that ever-present scowl on his face. That mole next to his eye and that scar on his cheek. Ears full of piercings and a septum that, by no means, was supposed to look as good as it looked on him. 

He felt the curtain of his bunk get moved aside, getting him out of his thoughts, which he admittedly thanked since he was getting into a bad spiraling. He lazily turned his head to look at his sister, who was peaking inside.

“Hey,” She said, climbing up into the cramped space, laying beside Lance, looking at the ceiling of the bunk. There was a bit of a silence, a silence Lance knew too well. His sister cared about him and he knew she wanted to ask, yet, at the same time, she wanted to give him some space. Lance smiled, it had always been like that. When Rachel and him where little, Rachel being the one Lance shared the smallest age gap with, and they got into a fight, Veronica was always there to first give him time to calm down and then talk things out and make them make up. “how are you doing up here?”

“I’m fine, Vero, it’s… okay.” Lance answered, almost immediately. He appreciated that his sister cared, but he just didn’t want to think about it, he didn’t want to acknowledge the situation more than he already had. Because maybe, if he did, he would fall down that dark hole once more, and he was way too over it all to break down again. He had just slipped back then, it had taken him by surprise and that broke him down. But he was okay, he wouldn’t let Keith Kogane walk all over him once more.

Veronica grimaced, not buying it. She lazily run her fingers over the bunk on top of them, tracing the shapes of the mattress, the way it sunk, its outline over the structure of the bunk. “Okay.”

Silence. Lance sighed.

“But like, what the fuck is he doing here?” Lance complained, because even if he pretended he was over it, he couldn’t just brush it off, he couldn’t just sit and simply accept that was it, that he was meant to spend the whole tour with the one boy he swore he’d never want to see again. “There are tons of bands! And we have to share the stage with that… that… _caraculo_.” 

Veronica snorted, dropping her hand, leaving the mattress above alone and, instead, turning to face Lance.

“It is shitty.” Veronica admitted, face all serious again, showing Lance the understanding she knew he needed. “And I’m sorry I didn’t realize it was Keith’s band the other supporting band, –I didn’t even know he was in a band too?–” Veronica frowned, and Lance quickly added a ‘me neither’, before she went on talking. “I should’ve checked, and I should’ve given you a warning. I was just so excited about the All Time Low thing… I was like ‘man, Lance’s gonna love this, he’s totally gonna freak out’ and I just… assumed it didn’t matter who the other supporting band was. Lance I’m—. ”

“Don’t.” Lance interrupted, raising a hand in the space that separated them. “Don’t apologize. You said it, you didn’t know, and you’re always there for us, you get us great deals and, oh, my god, All Time Low, Vero. All. Time. Low.”

Veronica laughed, watching his brother fanboy.  

“Yeah, All Time Low.” She agreed, turning towards the ceiling again. “And I mean, maybe those _rollerblades_ aren’t as bad as they seem.”

Lance laughed. “Are we calling them that?”

“Yep.”

“Okay”

The silence filled the space once more, only the rumbling of the engine as an always present background noise as they traveled to the next city. They simply laid there, with the clattering of the bus on their backs as they stared at the bunk above them.

“Like, yeah, Keith’s definitely a _caraculo_ ; but the others don’t seem so bad.” Veronica continued, and his sister’s sudden blushing didn’t go unnoticed by Lance. “Like, that bass player, Acxa—.”

“Oh, my god! I knew this was about a girl!” Lance shouted, getting up and, consequently, hitting his head with the bunk above. He groaned in pain, rubbing at the affected spot to soothe the pain.

“It’s not really, I just—.”

“Ah papapa! Don’t ‘I just’ me! She’s the enemy, Veronica!”

Veronica rolled her eyes, yet the smile on her lips made it clear she wasn’t all that annoyed.

“And back to dramatic Lance, guess I was worrying over nothing.”

She also got up, although more carefully than Lance, and slid out of the bunk. She rested her arms on the bunk, head on top of them, and stared at her brother one last time.

“It’s gonna be okay, Lance, I promise. And if he tries anything, you know your big sis is here to kick his ass.”

Lance smiled.

“Yeah, thank you, Vero.”

“You’re welcome. And now come on, we’re almost at the venue; and this time, All Time Low’s gonna be there for sure.”

Veronica let the curtain fall closed again and Lance smiled. Oh, my god. It was happening. Fuck Keith Kogane, he was minutes away from meeting All Time Low.

In pure fanboy reaction, Lance turned around and squealed into the pillow.

 

\--

 

After hours of travelling, which Lance used to either nap or play videogames with Pidge and Hunk –they had a fairly big collection of games they had been gathering in the tour bus for the down time in the bus, when travelling from town to town. Right now, they were obsessed, specially Pidge and Lance, with an old videogame they had found in a second-hand store back at home; _Killbot Phantasm I: Journey to the Depths of the Demonsphere_. It brought back so many good memories and it had them hooked up on it.– they finally made it to Saint Paul, Minnesota. First stop of the tour, where it all would begin and where Lance would meet his favorite band.

To say Lance was nervous was an understatement.

He had been waiting for this for months, ever since Veronica announced they were touring with All Time Low, and now it was finally happening. It didn’t matter that Lance had been mentally preparing for this for hours while traveling to the venue. He was anxious. It wasn’t only the fact that he was meeting the people who for years had been his heroes and his inspiration, it was also how Lance didn’t want to disappoint. He didn’t want to come out too strong –too loud and obnoxious, like people liked to put it down.– or too small, to unimportant and undeserving of being part of the supporting bands of this tour.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, just as he finished descending the last step down the bus. He turned around to see Hunk there, smiling at him.

“Hey, man. You good?”

Hunk was eyeing him with concern, bathed in the affectionate look he usually put up when he sensed Lance’s insecurities getting too loud. Lance loved Hunk so much, he was always there for him, in the good and in the bad. They’ve been friends for years and, if there was someone who could look at Lance and know exactly what he was thinking, he knew Hunk was one of those people, close-followed by his sister and Pidge.

“Yeah, I’m just… kinda nervous.” Lance tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it came out more like a grimace. “Y’know, it’s All Time Low and… I don’t wanna fuck this up.”

Hunk gave him a concerned smile and put his big arm around Lance’s shoulders, pulling him closer into a brief side hug. “You won’t. I’m sure they’ll love you just as much as we do. And now come on, you don’t wanna have them waiting, do you?”

Lance hesitantly shook his head, still unsure, with insecurities and anxiousness still fresh on his skin, but with more confidence. He could do that. Everything would be okay.

Pidge, who had stayed behind because they had forgotten their bass inside the bus, joined them, giving Lance a comforting pat on the back, smiling softly at him. Lance was really so lucky to have such amazing bandmate friends.

“Okay so…” Veronica reappeared from inside the bus, where she had been speaking with the bus driver, looking at her phone as she descended the bus. “All Time Low’s already in there and the _Rollerblades_ are almost here.”

“The what?” Pidge asked, looking as confused as Hunk.

“The Blades of Marmora, we gave them that nickname.” Lance cleared up, matter-of-factly.

“Okay, enough talking; we’ve got work to do.” Veronica said, rushing everyone to start moving towards the entrance.

They begun walking towards the main entrance, they had to pass through a gate to get into the building. Outside, lining up following the fence, there was already a considerate amount of fans queueing, even though it was barely eleven and the doors opened at seven.

It wasn’t that surprising, Lance understood the rush for he had been there too; getting up early and spending all day in the queue to assure yourself a good spot and be as close as possible to the stage.

It was tiring and kind of boring, with numb legs from standing in line all day that had you varying from standing to sitting down on the floor. Hours and hours with nothing to do but wait. The cold in the winter, not wanting to wear too much stuff that would become a nuisance inside, in the heat of the crowd, that had you shivering in your underdressed but cute concert outfit. The unbearable heat in the summer, sweating under the sun, trying to cool down with cold drinks.  

It wasn’t all that bad, thought. Concert queues were always filled with nice people, and befriending everyone was almost as easy as breathing when having the same love and passion for the artist they were all waiting for. So the long and tiring wait was spent talking, explaining adventures and experiences, playing card games and laughing and complaining about the wait together.

Lance smiled, remembering those times now that he was at the other end of the experience.

As expected, as soon as the fans saw them, most of them got up and begun screaming. They weren’t All Time Low, the main band, so the hype wasn’t as big as it probably was for them, yet it still had the street filled with the shouting of fans. Voltron had a considerate number of fans and Lance had been seeing fans go crazy on social media about this tour, excited to come see them play. Some fans were even excited for Lance, since he had said in various interviews that he was a big fan of All Time Low the fans were calling that the collab of the year, all happy for him. Apart from that, Lance guessed that, after hours of queueing, the newness of something happening was definitely refreshing.   

Lance smiled, putting on his usual charm, waving to the fans. He loved them so much, they were all so great, always leaving messages of support and coming to their shows. Lance was happy to know that the band had been able to form a community that cool.

He heard a few fans calling his name and, even though Veronica had told them to go straight inside, since they had work to do, things to go over, he stopped for a few quick photos and autographs. His sister sent him a glare for it, yet she also stopped for her own amount of fanservice, as well as his two bandmates. The fans knew Veronica was his sister, so they had come to love her as if she was part of the band too.

“Okay guys, we love you, but we have to go inside.” Veronica announced.

Lance waved good-bye and trailed behind the others pass the gate, leaving a trail of screams behind. They walked the short distance from the gate to the building, where Veronica showed the security their accreditations, and they finally made it inside.

“Oh, my god, I’m so nervous. Hunk catch me if I faint, please.” Lance said, as they walked though a few halls to the backstage, he felt as if his legs were made of jelly and the pounding of his heart resonated in his ears.

“Please don’t faint.” Pidge answered in front of Lance. Their big bass, compared to the low stature they had, almost hid them from Lance’s view. The fans were always saying how cute it was, and Pidge was always replying to those tweets with complains about how they weren’t cute, they were very badass. The fans never listened, and it was kind of the fans’ inside joke to tease Pidge, aka. The Little Lion –for how cute they were and how ferocious they were when they opened their mouth.

They came to a stop in front of a door that had the names of all three bands in a paper stuck to the door. _All Time Low, Blades of Marmora & Voltron._

“Okay, Lance, take a deep breath, we’re going in.” Veronica teased, turning around to smirk at Lance before turning back to the door to knock.

He knew his sister was joking, yet he still did take a deep breath, trying to calm down his racing heart before it escaped through his mouth –it felt very realistically possible in those moments.

“Come in!” They heard a few moments after Veronica knocked on the door –Lance thought he recognized the voice to be Matt Flyzik’s, All Time Low’s manager– and so Veronica did so, opening the door.

And Lance had imagined that moment a thousand times, both in the excitement of how it would be to be backstage with All Time Low and in the anxiousness of what to expect. He had imagined them all joking around, maybe rehearsing some songs or composing new ones. He expected craziness, because Lance knew fully well just how extra that band could be and how ‘normal’ wasn’t exactly part of their vocabulary. But he definitely wasn’t expecting that.

Looking back, maybe he should; that was All Time Low, after all.

In the back of the room, Jack stood holding a hanger with a toast stuck to it and, in front of him, Alex was attempting to toast it flaming it using a lighter and hair spray. Lance was just surprised they hadn’t set off the fire alarms nor set anything on fire yet.

Then, Alex stopped the fire, and Jack brought the toast closer to him for inspection.

“It’s toasted!” Jack exclaimed, all excited and happy.

Alex, now that he wasn’t creating a whole-ass flash in the middle of the backstage room, got closer, examining the toast too.

“It’s crispy!” He declared, as happy about it as Jack.

They both looked like they’d just made an incredible discovery and were so proud about it.  

The others, Rian and Zack, as well as their manager Matt, seemed to be used to that craziness, as they were just minding their own business on their phones.

“Jesus, and I thought I had trouble keeping you guys in line.” Veronica muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Voltron to hear it. She looked kind of pale, as if she was both afraid of what a bunch of insane people they had agreed to tour with and sorry for what their manager must’ve had to endure.

Upon hearing them enter the room, they all turned to look at them, making the anxiousness come back to Lance, now that he wasn’t distracted by the random occurrences of the two craziest members of All Time Low.

“Hey, you must be Voltron, right?” Alex said, leaving the lighter and the hair spray in one of the tables of the room and coming closer.

Jack did the same, discarding the toast next to Alex’s utensils.

“Hey, _voltages_.” Jack greeted them and, after receiving a few weird looks; “What? It sounds different _and_ cool. You should consider changing the name to that.” 

“Just ignore him, Voltron’s a cool name.” Rian said, getting up from the couch he was siting on, next to Zack, who also got up to greet them with a simple ‘Hello’. 

After that, Veronica was quick to leave them all on their own to go speak with Matt, most likely including a few questions and comments about safety.

“Thank you for having us, we’re stocked to be on this tour!” Hunk told them, while Lance just stood there, looking at them without actually believing he was there. They were real, and Lance was still trying to grasp on that fact and how he had been blessed to be able to spend a whole tour with them.

“You’re welcome, when we saw your gig in Baltimore we knew we had to have you on this tour, you guys were awesome!” Alex answered, smiling warmly. Alex was always so nice, from what he had seen on interviews and concerts, and it was so unfamiliar yet good seeing that niceness directed at them.

“We’re your fans number one!” Jack added.

Pidge chuckled. They gave Lance a quick glance and Lance knew, he knew he was going to be exposed.

“You’re one to talk, you’ve got All Time Low’s biggest fan right here.” Pidge said, patting Lance’s shoulder, slightly pushing him closer to the front. Completely exposing him.

They all looked surprised for a moment and then they were smiling.

“That’s so cool!” Jack said and, suddenly, his arm was around Lance’s shoulders in a friendly manner. Lance might as well had forgotten how to properly function. He was a huge Jack stan. 

“We’re gonna have so much fun!” Alex said, just as excited as Jack. And then, turning to all of them with a smile that Lance was unsure whether to take seriously or not; “Do you guys want any toast? We just toasted them. Fresh out of the hanger.”

Lance opened his mouth to answer, even though he wasn’t quite sure if eating a hairspray-bathed toast was the best idea, when some else knocked on the door. His mood instantly dropped when he saw who it was. Blades of Marmora.

He watched the whole band enter the room, which was now getting a bit crammed with all three bands in there, and took a moment to look at them better. Yesterday, he hadn’t really paid attention to them –or anything of what went on, for that matter– too preoccupied with the fact that the one boy he never wanted to see again was there. But now, as he saw them all introduce themselves to the main band, he used the chance to really look at them.

Their manager was loud. _So_ loud. And Lance guessed that was something to say when he, himself, had been told numerous times just how loud he was. Yet, from the moment the door was opened, that man –his name was Coran?– was already introducing himself and his band to everyone, giving handshakes and, surprisingly enough, it didn’t take long for him to dive in some story about when he was in his own band, playing drums and all. Rian seemed to find it interesting, thought, as he ended up standing on the side with him, listening him talk.

Then there was that girl. _The Girl_. Tall, tan and with long strands of white hair cascading down her back, partly hiding the logo of their band that was on the back of the leader jacket they all seemed to wear. She had deep blue eyes and a blinding smile that had Lance wondering if an angel had just descended from heaven.

“Lance, maybe you’d like to switch off your I-just-fell-in-love look, because Allura has a boyfriend; and that boyfriend is standing right next to her.” Veronica whispered in his ear, startling him and making him jump.

“Jesus, Veronica, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Lance protested, placing a hand on his chest dramatically and, at the same time, deflating. Life was so unfair, why could he never get the pretty girl?

His mind instantly and unwillingly travelled back to California, to Nyma, and he felt his heart ache once more. He thought this time was the one, that he could finally be lucky enough to have a pretty and talented girl stay by his side. But she left. Everyone left. Too much for being bisexual, he sucked at love twice as much. 

Veronica pocked his side, knowing fully well how ticklish he was, and he jumped –back to reality, away from Nyma and the California sunsets. “Come on, Shiro’s actually a really nice guy. You’ll like him.”

Lance glared at Vero, unsure and grumpy, and then turned back to look at that Shiro guy.

He was tall and buff, it made Lance think that maybe he played drums and that was the reason he was so fit. His hair was also white, matching his girlfriend’s. And, despite how pettily Lance wanted to hold a grudge against him for being lucky enough to be with Allura, the man had such a warm look in his eyes and such a nice aura surrounding him, as he politely smiled at everyone, that he simply couldn’t. He doubted it was even possible to hate that guy at first glance.

If you looked at Keith, and at that other girl next to him, it was a whole different story. They both had the same brooding look, arms crossed in a mirrored pose and the same piercing lilac eyes. In fact, they were so alike it was even scary. Were they related? Lance didn’t remember Keith saying anything about a sister when they were back at the Garrison, then again, Keith never told him much about his family. Keith left him on the dark in many matters.

“That’s Acxa, _mi futura novia_.” Veronica whispered, in Spanish for extra measure. It was something they frequently did when they didn’t want other people to understand them, it was quite practical when most people barely made out one or two words of Spanish they remembered from high school lessons.   

“You wish.” Lance laughed. “But they look so alike? Keith and her, I mean.”

“Oh, I thought you knew, they’re siblings.”

Siblings. Something so common and that was always brought up at some point when you knew someone, yet Lance never came to know Keith had a sister. He felt the weight in his stomach getting heavier.

“Wow! I love your tattoo, man! That’s sick!” Lance heard Jack say and turned to see that comment directed at Keith. He was wearing a tank top, the band leather jacked tied around his waist, leaving his arms exposed and, on his left one, a wolf head tattoo in black and white took most of the skin on his bicep.

Lance remembered being there when he got it. He got it tattooed the day of his eighteenth birthday, a week before he left; a week before it all ended. They had gone together to the tattoo parlor, hands clasped tight in the coldness of December, laughing as puffs of breath clouded the air, kissing in every corner, because they were so in love –or so he thought.

Lance got his second tattoo that day, when Keith managed to convince him to join him in ‘his suffering’ with back hugs and kisses on the neck as the tattoo artist got Keith’s tattoo ready. Lance ended up with a shark tattooed in the same place as Keith’s, one that begun reminding him of the sea, of Varadero, of summer adventures and _Keith._ Until it turned into an awful reminder of how much it hurt to trust someone and love them to the point of being willing to sacrifice everything for them only to have them leaving with no second thoughts, no regrets.

“Thanks.” Keith simply replied, further fueling Lance’s bad mood. Seriously? All Time Low compliments your tattoo and you’re as plain rude as that?  

Jack, standing next to Zack and Alex, looked kind of taken aback by Keith’s dry answer too, but he seemed to brush it off. He smiled, and left off to keep playing around with Alex, while Zack seemed to get in a conversation with Shiro and Allura.

Lance just stared at Keith, quiet, with that serious expression, standing next to Acxa. He sighed. Whatever, he didn’t care about that guy. He was there for the tour, the fans and the music, as well as for his friends and All Time Low. Keith could just fuck off.

 

\--

 

After they all met, the rest went on like it usually did with these things. Soundchecks and shows. Screaming fans and enjoying the tour, where the only important thing in that moment in time was the music, the adrenaline. The loud live music bouncing off the walls, feeling it in your bones, like a warm hug. The overwhelming closeness of the bodies of strangers and the dizzying heat of the crowd.   

The first few shows left Lance exhausted, trying to get the hang of it all. With the lights heating his tanned skin, making him sweat as he ran around the stage, putting up the best show he could, giving his all like he always did.

Voltron was the first supporting band, so it was up to them to get the night started, to warm up the fans and get them moving after hours standing outside in the cold, queueing. Next was Blades of Marmora and then, the final show, the awaited All Time Low.

Right now, they were already on their fourth stop of the tour, in Detroit. The doors were opening now, and Voltron was finishing getting ready since soon they’d have to go on stage. All Time Low was being as crazy as usual, Jack complaining about how bad he wanted a burrito with Alex just telling him to shut up because ‘no, Jack, I’m not dressing up in our merch to pass as one of our fans to sneak out of the venue and go to Taco Bell’. Blade of Marmora was also there, just talking or on their phones. Shiro and Allura had gone out a few minutes ago, to the bending machine at the end of the hallway to get some snacks.

“Five minutes, Voltron!” A guy from backstage shouted, getting into the room.

Lance put away his phone, closing his photo gallery and pushing the thought of Nyma to the back of his head, as hid as he could manage. Right now, the show was the priority. Pidge and Lance picked their bass and guitar from where they were leaning on the arm of the couch, since they both had been practicing some new tunes, and Hunk twirled around his drumsticks. Smile on their faces, ready to give it all to a restless crowd. Lance smiled back, just as excited, and Veronica rushed them out of the room, to the entrance of the stage.

On the side of the stage, Hunk stretched his arms on top of his head. Pidge jumped around a bit.

“One minute!”   

Lance felt the pull on his stomach, the nervousness that mixed with the adrenaline and the excitement, the same one that made him be where he was.

And then it was finally the time to go on stage and play. Veronica wished them all good luck, like she always did, and Hunk and Pidge went ahead of Lance, since the front man was supposed to be the last to appear on stage. Lance thought that not-written rule was kind of dumb –they were a band, together, they were all equally important– but he went along with it like the rest did.

Finally, he was out there, with the lights momentarily blinding him, his fingers already moving on the strings of the first song on the setlist. And Nyma and Keith and everything that troubled Lance’s mind disappeared; it was just him and the music and the fans, a small paradise confined in the short spam of an-hour-concert.   

The show went well, with most of the fans even knowing the lyrics to their songs and singing back –something that wasn’t always like that when you played as the supporting band. The energy in that room was amazing, Lance could feel the love and passion for music, how excited everyone was to be there.

“We are Voltron and it was a pleasure playing for you tonight!” Lance screamed into the microphone, tired and sweating, yet still high on the adrenaline of a crowd that was so ready to rock out. “I hope you enjoy Blades of Marmora and, of course, All Time Low! Thank you! We love you!”

They got out of the stage, still hearing the applause and the screams, the cheering, and Veronica was quick to hand them all bottles of water and towels. Lance quickly drained half his bottle, thirsty after so much singing and talking, on top of running around stage, even if they had also left some bottles on stage for him. He ran the towel a bit through his hair, surely making a mess out of it, before leaving it hanging around his neck. 

“Great show, guys!” Veronica cheered, as excited as always, and Lance smiled. He swore his sister could easily take the position of their fan number one, she had always been so supportive and had helped them all grow in so many aspects, Lance could never thank her enough.

They all thanked her, finishing off their bottles of water, and they all walked back to the main room.

“Man, I’m so tired, I think I’m gonna take a quick nap in the sofa.” Pidge groaned, walking next to Lance. They had their towel still on top of their head, like a blanket hiding them from the world.

Lance laughed, he was kind of tired too, but definitely not as sleepy as Pidge. He knew that Pidge would much rather go back to their bunk back in the tour bus, but Lance also knew that they cared a lot about their fans and they wanted to be there to meet them outside when the show was over. So their alternative was napping in the main room, something that wasn’t as inconvenient as one may think if you considered how Pidge was able to fall asleep wherever and whenever.

“I’m gonna see if Shiro and Allura still have some food left, I’m starving.” Hunk said.

“Same.” Veronica agreed.

They all rounded the corner of the last hallway, the one that led to the main room, just in time to see Blades of Marmora leave to the stage, all matching jackets, tight clothes and heavy make-up. Lance made eye contact with Keith then, lilac eyes staring deeply at him, seeping into his soul, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt as if everyone else disappeared, as if the corridor was just the two of them. It felt like going back in time, to stealing glances in crowded school hallways and holding hands under the table.

And Lance hated it. He wanted to shove Keith to the side for ever making him feel like that, for having those eyes that Lance couldn’t ever escape, because they reflected everything Keith was and pulled him closer to him. And Lance wanted to run away.    

“Good luck!” Lance went back to reality to hear his bandmate tell the other band and he distractedly mumbled a similar reply, walking faster to the main room.

“Oh, yeah!” Allura turned back to them, big smile painted with dark lipstick. "There’s still some food left from the vending machine, in case anyone wants some.”

Both Veronica and Hunk thanked her and ran to the backroom, passing by Lance and Pidge who were way too tired for the exercise.

As soon as they got to the backroom, Hunk and Veronica took the few bags of snacks there were still left and sat on one of the sofas. Lance said hi to All Time Low, who were sat playing games on a console at the back of the room –it was kind of odd seeing them so calm, if you ignored the shouting and death threats to the screen, but Lance had learned from the few days spent touring with them that videogames were the only way to kind of tone down those guys–, and sat next to Veronica and Hunk. Pidge took the other couch, not wasting any time on falling asleep, even with all that hubbub.

And so, the next hour went by pretty quickly, just chilling in the main room. Pidge took the time to nap, Veronica went over emails and other band-manager-stuff that Lance wasn’t that familiar with, and Hunk and Lance ended up joining the All Time Low dudes on videogames. Soon enough, Blades of Marmora were back, as sweaty and exhausted as stage left everyone, and they all took their places siting on couches and even on the floor.

It was now time for All Time Low to go and end the show in the awesome way they always did.

Lance stood up too, he was touring with his favorite band, so he had resolved to go to each one of the concerts. Being able to attend all the shows in an All Time Low tour? Lance was basically living the fanboy dream right there. Besides, he wasn’t too fond on staying in that room with Keith. He liked Blades of Marmora so far, they were all nice and fun to hang around, but he just couldn’t be around Keith and not have memories spent next to him come back. He really tried to ignore him and be civil, but he tended to hold grudges and be resentful, and Keith had deeply hurt him.

He put on a big hoodie, putting on the hood over his head even though he was well aware he was going to suffer the heat of the crowd, as to not be recognized. He mingled in the crowd, trying to blend in as much as possible, ready to see All Time Low walk into the stage.

The show was as great as ever, Lance sang along to all of the songs, jumping around and dancing to the up-beat songs. Living the moment with all of the fans. Some of them even recognized him, and Lance smiled and waved at them. He even befriended some, all of them hugging and jumping at the same time, screaming the lyrics. Lance had such a great time, and he felt his worries fly away with the rhythm of fast guitar solos and heavy drumming. That was his place, whether it was on stage or in the crowd, Lance felt at home when the loud music filled the room.

When Dear Maria ended, the last song of the setlist, he waved good-bye to the fans, promising to come out later to take photos and hang out a bit. He went back to the main room, where a sweaty yet with still full of energy All Time Low stood, running around and being as loud as usual.

The supporting bands went out to meet the fans first, since All Time Low had just come out of the stage and still had to change. They all made sure to not leave anything behind backstage, since it would be a bother having to come back to get it later, they were leaving soon in the morning to the next city, and went outside.

Pidge was bouncing through the halls as they approached the backdoor, where they could already hear the racket of the fans. Lance run to the door too, next to Pidge, and they both opened the door as Hunk and Blades of Marmora trailed behind.

The screaming of the fans got louder when the security men outside the doors moved aside, letting them out, and the two bands smiled and waved at fans. God, Lance really was so grateful for where he got to be in life.

 

\--

 

Lance laid down on his bunk bed, feeling his body heavy with exhaustion. He was finally back in the tour bus, after a long eventful night. Their set, the All Time Low concert he wouldn’t miss for the world, meeting the fans outside and taking lots of pictures until his cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and then back to being with All Time Low. Truth was, those guys were even nicer than Lance had initially imagined. They were loud and crazy, sometimes too crazy –in those moments, everyone was grateful for their manager Matt–. and undeniably welcomingly nice. He had stayed back talking with them for a while, sharing stories and laughing at Jack’s stupid jokes.

Now he was back in the tour bus, laying on his bunk but unable to sleep despite how tired he was.

His mind traveled back to Nyma. To how it all ended –again– and how much he missed her. He wished she was there right now, wrapped in his arms, cuddling as she laughed at his dumb puns and pick-up lines; and Lance would know that they were bad, but she’d still laugh at every single one of them. Her melodic laugh, the way she’d shyly cover her mouth with her small hands while laughing. And then she’d smile and she’d look at him with those big purple eyes –did he had a thing for purple eyes?– and she’d softly whisper how much of a dork he was before kissing him.

But he was all alone in that bunk, and the mattress felt empty and cold, missing the presence of someone who long left and wouldn’t come back.

“ _I can’t be him, or her, whoever you miss. No matter how much I try, how much you try, I can’t replace them._ ” She had said, just before leaving. There was hurt in her eyes, yet she still left with her head up high, seemingly unbreakable.

But Lance loved her. And he had loved Plaxum and Rolo too. Yet something was always off, until it made them leave.

Lance sighed, sitting up on his bed, and ran his hand through his hair. His mind was racing and, as much as he wanted to sleep, he just couldn’t.

He looked to his side, where Hunk was sleeping inside the bunk next to his, the curtains slightly moved aside, so that a little light went through. Pidge was sleeping in the one under him, curtains completely closed, and Lance knew Veronica would probably also be sleeping in the one under him. They were all probably incredibly tired too, he couldn’t just go and wake them up because he was sulking about his ex-girlfriend again –they had already put up with enough of that for the past month.

Lance sighed once more and got out of his bunk.

He put on some sweatpants and the hoodie from before and he walked out to the common area, grabbing his keys, wallet and iPhone. He needed some fresh air. The bus wasn’t leaving since early in the morning, so he was safe to go out for a walk as long as he was back by five. It was now one am, almost two. Still, Lance wasn’t planning on staying out for too long, just a short walk, maybe getting something to drink, and be back soon enough to not worry anyone.

He walked away from the tour bus and out of the parking lot near the venue were the bus was stationed. From what he had noticed from when they were driving to the venue in the morning, they were kind of far from downtown, but he still saw a few locals and shops nearby. Lance honestly preferred it that way, he wasn’t that famous, but sometimes people did recognize him, and it was more bound to happen the more people there were.

He ended up walking in a small coffeeshop, the fluorescent light of the banner illuminating the dark street, since the rest of locals seemed to have closed already.

He walked to the counter, where a petite girl was doing efforts to not fall asleep, hair pulled up in a messy bun that had strands falling in her face as she dozed off. Lance felt bad for her, even more for walking in and giving her more work to do. However, as soon as the girl noticed him standing there, she stood up straight, full-awake, with a bright smile.

“Hello! What can I get you?” She asked, her voice being much louder and full of energy than Lance would’ve expected from a night-shifter.

“Umm, do you have any milkshakes?” He hesitantly asked.

“Yep, all of these.” She answered, pointing to the board that listed all the different drinks the coffeeshop offered.

“Oh, then I’ll have a medium banana milkshake.”

“Coming! I’ll be four thirty dollars!”

The girl moved to the back of the counter to prepare the milkshake and Lance took out his wallet from the front pocket of his hoodie to look for the money. He also took off the hood from over his head, since the coffeeshop was deserted and no one would recognize him there.

“And here you go, a banana milkshake!” The girl handed him the milkshake and Lance gave her the money. He was about to leave, when the girl stopped him. “Y-You’re Lance from Voltron, right?”

Lance turned back to the counter, smile on his face. “Yeah! You’re a fan?”

“Yes! But I couldn’t go to the show tonight, you know, work.” She frowned a bit, motioning around her, the coffeeshop.

Lance grimaced, feeling bad for her. He knew how shitty it was having to work your ass off for a bit of money to subside.

"Do you want a picture? I know it's not the same as seeing the whole band live, but..."

The girl's face seemed to light up, as she effusively nodded. "Oh, my god, yes, thank you!"

She gave Lance her phone, pulling off the messy bun and messing with her hair a bit until she deemed it to look good enough, and leaned forward on the counter. Lance also got closer to the counter, giving it his back. He lifted the phone in front of them, smiling and he took the photo. The girl was smiling so bright.

"Thank you!" She said again, her smile not leaving her face. "Wow, can't believe my luck tonight, I guess I'll have to thank the gods for putting this coffeeshop near the venue."

She laughed, and Lance laughed too.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, you're probably tired and want to enjoy that milkshake."

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you!"

The girl waved good-bye to him and he walked to the tables at the back of the local.

And then he saw him.  

Lance couldn’t believe it. What were the chances of bumping into someone from the tour in the middle of the night, in a coffeeshop? At this hour, people were either asleep or partying in some bar. Yet Keith was right there, siting on one of the tables at the back of the coffeeshop, hot drink between his hands, the smoke clouding his face, melting into the black locks of his hair. His gaze was lost somewhere, heavy bags under his eyes that Lance hadn’t noticed before but that now that he had taken the time, in the pale fluorescent lights of that place, were pretty notable against his porcelain skin.

What the hell was he doing there? Was he following him? Or was that just merely and purely coincidence? Lance was beginning to think the upper forces of the world had some childish grudge against him, since he kept forcing Lance to be in the same place as the one person he was avoiding as much as he could.

And he was mad, he was hurt and mad and so frustrated.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Lance spat, slamming his milkshake on the table and sitting down, glaring daggers at the other guy.

Keith lifted an eyebrow, looking at him confused, a spark of annoyance glowing in his eyes.

“Well, hello to you too.” He answered, much calmer than Lance. "I could ask you the same thing.”

Keith took a sip of his drink, apparently coffee, if the smell that filled the air was anything to say. It was pissing Lance off how calm he was being. It was also unusual, if you asked him, since Keith used to pick up fights with whoever even so dared to look his way.

“It was my idea coming here.”

Keith smirked. “Well, clearly, it was my idea first, since I got here first.”

Lance sent him a death glare and, in lack of a better thing to say; “Besides, who even drinks coffee at this hour? Do you just not care at all about sleeping?”

“Better than that disgusting banana milkshake.” Keith scrunched his nose, looking at Lance’s milkshake with disgust.

Lance gasped, hand over his chest. “I’m sorry were you just born with zero common sense?”

Keith laughed then, surprising Lance a bit. Why was this asshole even laughing at? Lance wasn’t trying to be nice and funny here at all.

They sat there in silence then, Keith taking another sip of his coffee as Lance just angrily stared at him, milkshake sitting untouched in front of him.

“What are you even doing here—.”

“I told you—.” Keith tried to cut him off, frown getting deeper, he was starting to get annoyed. Good, it wasn’t fair Lance was the only one getting wrinkles for getting angry.

“I mean on this tour!” Lance interrupted, raising his voice a bit. “You don’t even like All Time Low, I saw you, you didn’t even know who they were when you met them!”

Keith sighed, as if he was already done with Lance’s bullshit. And that simple action, brought back so many memories. Of when it all started, back when they used to bicker and pick up fights for everything and anything, just because they were both too stubborn and dense to notice that really, they just wanted to get together.  

“It allows me to play music and pay bills, so whatever.”

“ _Whatever_.” Lance mocked. “Well, it’s no surprise, you never seemed to care for anyone. And that name? ‘Blades of Marmora’? Add it to the list of things not worth your time.”

Keith got up, startling Lance. He looked angry, _really angry_ , and Lance would’ve felt bad for saying all those things if it wasn’t for how upset he was, how, as much as he lied to himself, he never got to fully accept why Keith simply left, no explanation given.

Keith looked down at him, eyes glowing with anger, deep frown and lips curved in an angry scowl.

“What’s it to you? Does it bother you that much to see me around? And ‘Voltron’, Lance?” Lance ignored the shiver that went down his spine upon hearing Keith say his name. “ _That’_ s a shitty name. Where does it even come from? Some kids’ shitty show about defending the universe with some robot?”   

Lance opened his mouth to protest, shoot back some other angry remark, but Keith cut him off before he could even say anything.

“Fuck off, Lance. You don’t know shit about me.”

Keith grabbed his jacked from the back of his chair and stormed off.

Lance was left to sit in silence in the now empty coffeeshop, wondering if the girl at the counter had heard all of their screaming and was now wondering if someone like him was even worth stanning. He knew he had been mean, but he couldn’t help it. Keith had hurt him, and it was like a defense mechanism for Lance, hiding his true emotions by being too aggressive. If he pushed people away, they wouldn’t hurt him. If he wasn’t honest, no one would really know how to hurt him.

But Keith was there, and Keith knew Lance. He knew every layer of him, had slowly undressed each shade of his soul, until there was nothing. And Lance felt defenseless, wanted to run; but, at the same time, he knew he never felt more alive as when he was with Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope i can write the next part in time for the weekly update but i have some part-time exams the next few weeks so idk   
> tomorrow is my birthday!! leave some kudos and comments as a birthday gift??  
> -cris

**Author's Note:**

> this first chapter is pretty short and introductory-like but i promise the next chapter is gonna be MUCH longer  
> i hope you enjoyed this for now !! <3  
> -cris


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